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Gonzalez-Garcia P, Muñoz-Miranda JP, Fernandez-Cisnal R, Olvera L, Moares N, Gabucio A, Fernandez-Ponce C, Garcia-Cozar F. Specific Activation of T Cells by an ACE2-Based CAR-Like Receptor upon Recognition of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24087641. [PMID: 37108807 PMCID: PMC10145580 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24087641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which is still a health issue worldwide mostly due to a high rate of contagiousness conferred by the high-affinity binding between cell viral receptors, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) and SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. Therapies have been developed that rely on the use of antibodies or the induction of their production (vaccination), but despite vaccination being still largely protective, the efficacy of antibody-based therapies wanes with the advent of new viral variants. Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) therapy has shown promise for tumors and has also been proposed for COVID-19 treatment, but as recognition of CARs still relies on antibody-derived sequences, they will still be hampered by the high evasion capacity of the virus. In this manuscript, we show the results from CAR-like constructs with a recognition domain based on the ACE2 viral receptor, whose ability to bind the virus will not wane, as Spike/ACE2 interaction is pivotal for viral entry. Moreover, we have developed a CAR construct based on an affinity-optimized ACE2 and showed that both wild-type and affinity-optimized ACE2 CARs drive activation of a T cell line in response to SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein expressed on a pulmonary cell line. Our work sets the stage for the development of CAR-like constructs against infectious agents that would not be affected by viral escape mutations and could be developed as soon as the receptor is identified.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Juan P Muñoz-Miranda
- Department of Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cadiz, 11002 Cadiz, Spain
| | | | - Lucia Olvera
- Department of Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cadiz, 11002 Cadiz, Spain
| | - Noelia Moares
- Department of Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cadiz, 11002 Cadiz, Spain
| | - Antonio Gabucio
- Department of Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cadiz, 11002 Cadiz, Spain
| | - Cecilia Fernandez-Ponce
- Institute of Biomedical Research Cadiz (INIBICA), 11009 Cadiz, Spain
- Department of Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cadiz, 11002 Cadiz, Spain
| | - Francisco Garcia-Cozar
- Institute of Biomedical Research Cadiz (INIBICA), 11009 Cadiz, Spain
- Department of Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cadiz, 11002 Cadiz, Spain
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2
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Differential trafficking of ligands trogocytosed via CD28 versus CTLA4 promotes collective cellular control of co-stimulation. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6459. [PMID: 36309492 PMCID: PMC9617924 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34156-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Intercellular communication is crucial for collective regulation of cellular behaviors. While clustering T cells have been shown to mutually control the production of key communication signals, it is unclear whether they also jointly regulate their availability and degradation. Here we use newly developed reporter systems, bioinformatic analyses, protein structure modeling and genetic perturbations to assess this. We find that T cells utilize trogocytosis by competing antagonistic receptors to differentially control the abundance of immunoregulatory ligands. Specifically, ligands trogocytosed via CD28 are shuttled to the T cell surface, enabling them to co-stimulate neighboring T cells. In contrast, CTLA4-mediated trogocytosis targets ligands for degradation. Mechanistically, this fate separation is controlled by different acid-sensitivities of receptor-ligand interactions and by the receptor intracellular domains. The ability of CD28 and CTLA4 to confer different fates to trogocytosed ligands reveals an additional layer of collective regulation of cellular behaviors and promotes the robustness of population dynamics.
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3
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Biosensors for inflammation as a strategy to engineer regulatory T cells for cell therapy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2208436119. [PMID: 36161919 PMCID: PMC9546553 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2208436119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Engineered regulatory T cell (Treg cell) therapy is a promising strategy to treat patients suffering from inflammatory diseases, autoimmunity, and transplant rejection. However, in many cases, disease-related antigens that can be targeted by Treg cells are not available. In this study, we introduce a class of synthetic biosensors, named artificial immune receptors (AIRs), for murine and human Treg cells. AIRs consist of three domains: (a) extracellular binding domain of a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-receptor superfamily member, (b) intracellular costimulatory signaling domain of CD28, and (c) T cell receptor signaling domain of CD3-ζ chain. These AIR receptors equip Treg cells with an inflammation-sensing machinery and translate this environmental information into a CD3-ζ chain-dependent TCR-activation program. Different AIRs were generated, recognizing the inflammatory ligands of the TNF-receptor superfamily, including LIGHT, TNFα, and TNF-like ligand 1A (TL1A), leading to activation, differentiation, and proliferation of AIR-Treg cells. In a graft-versus-host disease model, Treg cells expressing lymphotoxin β receptor-AIR, which can be activated by the ligand LIGHT, protect significantly better than control Treg cells. Expression and signaling of the corresponding human AIR in human Treg cells prove that this concept can be translated. Engineering Treg cells that target inflammatory ligands leading to TCR signaling and activation might be used as a Treg cell-based therapy approach for a broad range of inflammation-driven diseases.
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Kasahara Y, Shin C, Kubo N, Mihara K, Iwabuchi H, Takachi T, Imamura M, Saitoh A, Imai C. Development and characterisation of NKp44-based chimeric antigen receptors that confer T cells with NK cell-like specificity. Clin Transl Immunology 2020; 9:e1147. [PMID: 32670576 PMCID: PMC7341825 DOI: 10.1002/cti2.1147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives One of the reasons as to why chimeric antigen receptors (CAR)-T cell therapy for malignancies other than CD19- or BCMA-positive tumors has yet to produce remarkable progress is the paucity of targetable antigens. NKp44 is only expressed by activated natural killer cells and detects a variety of transformed cells, while it reportedly does not react with normal tissues. The aim of this study is to develop CAR-T cell that can target multiple types of tumor cells. Methods We created a series of novel CAR constructs in first-generation (1G) and second-generation (2G) CAR format with the extracellular immunoglobulin-like domain of NKp44 (NKp44-CAR). Results Transduction of the best 1G construct into human primary T cells led to specific cytotoxic effects and cytokine secretion upon encountering multiple types of neoplastic cells including AML, T-ALL and childhood solid tumors. Replacement of the extracellular hinge domain of NKp44 with that of CD8α resulted in diminished CAR function. The 1G NKp44-CAR-T cells exhibited significantly better tumor control in long-term co-culture assays compared with activated NK cells, as well as with NK cells transduced with identical NKp44-CAR. T cells transduced with the best 2G-CAR construct with 4-1BB co-stimulatory domain proliferated at significantly higher levels upon single antigen exposure and showed significantly better tumor control compared with the 1G-CAR and 2G-CAR with CD28 co-stimulatory domain. Conclusions NKp44-based CAR endows T cells with NK cell-like anti-tumor specificity. The CAR gene created in this study will be useful for the development of novel gene-modified T-cell immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasushi Kasahara
- Department of Pediatrics Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences Niigata Japan
| | - Chansu Shin
- Department of Pediatrics Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences Niigata Japan
| | - Nobuhiro Kubo
- Department of Pediatrics Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences Niigata Japan
| | - Keichiro Mihara
- International Regenerative Medical Center Fujita Health University Aichi Japan
| | - Haruko Iwabuchi
- Department of Pediatrics Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences Niigata Japan
| | - Takayuki Takachi
- Department of Pediatrics Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences Niigata Japan
| | - Masaru Imamura
- Department of Pediatrics Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences Niigata Japan
| | - Akihiko Saitoh
- Department of Pediatrics Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences Niigata Japan
| | - Chihaya Imai
- Department of Pediatrics Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences Niigata Japan
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5
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Manufacturing and preclinical validation of CAR T cells targeting ICAM-1 for advanced thyroid cancer therapy. Sci Rep 2019; 9:10634. [PMID: 31337787 PMCID: PMC6650612 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-46938-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While the majority of thyroid cancer patients are easily treatable, those with anaplastic or poorly differentiated recurrent thyroid carcinomas have a very poor prognosis with a median survival of less than a year. Previously, we have shown a significant correlation between ICAM-1 overexpression and malignancy in thyroid cancer, and have pioneered the use of ICAM-1 targeted CAR T cells as a novel treatment modality. For clinical translation of this novel modality, we designed CAR T cells possessing micromolar rather than nanomolar affinity to ICAM-1 to avoid cytotoxicity in normal cells with basal levels of ICAM-1 expression. Herein, we report the automated process of CAR T cell manufacturing with CliniMACS Prodigy (Miltenyi Biotec) using cryopreserved peripheral blood leukocytes from apheresis collections. Using Prodigy, thawed leukopak cells were enriched for CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, subjected to double transduction using lentiviral vector, and expanded in culture for a total of 10 days with a final yield of 2–4 × 109 cells. The resulting CAR T cells were formulated for cryopreservation to be used directly for infusion into patients after thawing with no further processing. We examined cross-reactivity of CAR T cells toward both human and murine ICAM-1 and ICAM-1 expression in human and mouse tissues to demonstrate that both efficacy and on-target, off-tumor toxicity can be studied in our preclinical model. Selective anti-tumor activity in the absence of toxicity provides proof-of-concept that micromolar affinity tuned CAR T cells can be used to target tumors expressing high levels of antigen while avoiding normal tissues expressing basal levels of the same antigen. These studies support the initiation of a phase I study to evaluate the safety and potential efficacy of micromolar affinity tuned CAR T cells against newly diagnosed anaplastic and refractory or recurrent thyroid cancers.
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6
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Hajari Taheri F, Hassani M, Sharifzadeh Z, Behdani M, Arashkia A, Abolhassani M. T cell engineered with a novel nanobody‐based chimeric antigen receptor against VEGFR2 as a candidate for tumor immunotherapy. IUBMB Life 2019; 71:1259-1267. [DOI: 10.1002/iub.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Mahmoud Hassani
- Department of ImmunologyHybridoma Lab, Pasteur Institute of Iran Tehran Iran
- Department of Molecular MedicineTehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran
| | - Zahra Sharifzadeh
- Department of ImmunologyHybridoma Lab, Pasteur Institute of Iran Tehran Iran
| | - Mehdi Behdani
- Department of Molecular MedicinePasteur Institute of Iran Tehran Iran
| | - Arash Arashkia
- Department of a Molecular VirologyPasteur Institute of Iran Tehran Iran
| | - Mohsen Abolhassani
- Department of ImmunologyHybridoma Lab, Pasteur Institute of Iran Tehran Iran
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7
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Ajina A, Maher J. Strategies to Address Chimeric Antigen Receptor Tonic Signaling. Mol Cancer Ther 2018; 17:1795-1815. [PMID: 30181329 PMCID: PMC6130819 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-17-1097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2017] [Revised: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Adoptive cell transfer using chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) has emerged as one of the most promising new therapeutic modalities for patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies. Thus far, results in patients with advanced solid tumors have proven disappointing. Constitutive tonic signaling in the absence of ligand is an increasingly recognized complication when deploying these synthetic fusion receptors and can be a cause of poor antitumor efficacy, impaired survival, and reduced persistence in vivo In parallel, ligand-dependent tonic signaling can mediate toxicity and promote T-cell anergy, exhaustion, and activation-induced cell death. Here, we review the mechanisms underpinning CAR tonic signaling and highlight the wide variety of effects that can emerge after making subtle structural changes or altering the methodology of CAR transduction. We highlight strategies to prevent unconstrained tonic signaling and address its deleterious consequences. We also frame this phenomenon in the context of endogenous TCR tonic signaling, which has been shown to regulate peripheral tolerance, facilitate the targeting of foreign antigens, and suggest opportunities to coopt ligand-dependent CAR tonic signaling to facilitate in vivo persistence and efficacy. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(9); 1795-815. ©2018 AACR.
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MESH Headings
- Cell Differentiation/genetics
- Cell Differentiation/immunology
- Humans
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/methods
- Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/immunology
- Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/metabolism
- Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/therapy
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/genetics
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/immunology
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/metabolism
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/genetics
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/immunology
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/metabolism
- Signal Transduction/genetics
- Signal Transduction/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Ajina
- CAR Mechanics Group, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Studies, Guy's Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - John Maher
- CAR Mechanics Group, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Studies, Guy's Hospital, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Immunology, Eastbourne Hospital, East Sussex, United Kingdom
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8
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Salter AI, Ivey RG, Kennedy JJ, Voillet V, Rajan A, Alderman EJ, Voytovich UJ, Lin C, Sommermeyer D, Liu L, Whiteaker JR, Gottardo R, Paulovich AG, Riddell SR. Phosphoproteomic analysis of chimeric antigen receptor signaling reveals kinetic and quantitative differences that affect cell function. Sci Signal 2018; 11:11/544/eaat6753. [PMID: 30131370 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aat6753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 304] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) link an antigen recognition domain to intracellular signaling domains to redirect T cell specificity and function. T cells expressing CARs with CD28/CD3ζ or 4-1BB/CD3ζ signaling domains are effective at treating refractory B cell malignancies but exhibit differences in effector function, clinical efficacy, and toxicity that are assumed to result from the activation of divergent signaling cascades. We analyzed stimulation-induced phosphorylation events in primary human CD8+ CD28/CD3ζ and 4-1BB/CD3ζ CAR T cells by mass spectrometry and found that both CAR constructs activated similar signaling intermediates. Stimulation of CD28/CD3ζ CARs activated faster and larger-magnitude changes in protein phosphorylation, which correlated with an effector T cell-like phenotype and function. In contrast, 4-1BB/CD3ζ CAR T cells preferentially expressed T cell memory-associated genes and exhibited sustained antitumor activity against established tumors in vivo. Mutagenesis of the CAR CD28 signaling domain demonstrated that the increased CD28/CD3ζ CAR signal intensity was partly related to constitutive association of Lck with this domain in CAR complexes. Our data show that CAR signaling pathways cannot be predicted solely by the domains used to construct the receptor and that signal strength is a key determinant of T cell fate. Thus, tailoring CAR design based on signal strength may lead to improved clinical efficacy and reduced toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander I Salter
- Program in Immunology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.,Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Richard G Ivey
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Jacob J Kennedy
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Valentin Voillet
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Anusha Rajan
- Program in Immunology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.,Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Eva J Alderman
- Program in Immunology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.,Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Uliana J Voytovich
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Chenwei Lin
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Daniel Sommermeyer
- Program in Immunology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.,Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Lingfeng Liu
- Program in Immunology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.,Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Jeffrey R Whiteaker
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Raphael Gottardo
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Amanda G Paulovich
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Stanley R Riddell
- Program in Immunology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA. .,Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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9
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Hou AJ, Chang ZL, Lorenzini MH, Zah E, Chen YY. TGF-β-responsive CAR-T cells promote anti-tumor immune function. Bioeng Transl Med 2018; 3:75-86. [PMID: 30065964 PMCID: PMC6063867 DOI: 10.1002/btm2.10097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Revised: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that responds to transforming growth factor beta (TGF‐β) enables the engineering of T cells that convert this immunosuppressive cytokine into a potent T‐cell stimulant. However, clinical translation of TGF‐β CAR‐T cells for cancer therapy requires the ability to productively combine TGF‐β responsiveness with tumor‐targeting specificity. Furthermore, the potential concern that contaminating, TGF‐β?producing regulatory T (Treg) cells may preferentially expand during TGF‐β CAR‐T cell manufacturing and suppress effector T (Teff) cells demands careful evaluation. Here, we demonstrate that TGF‐β CAR‐T cells significantly improve the anti‐tumor efficacy of neighboring cytotoxic T cells. Furthermore, the introduction of TGF‐β CARs into mixed T‐cell populations does not result in the preferential expansion of Treg cells, nor do TGF‐β CAR‐Treg cells cause CAR‐mediated suppression of Teff cells. These results support the utility of incorporating TGF‐β CARs in the development of adoptive T‐cell therapy for cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Hou
- Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles CA 90095
| | - ZeNan L Chang
- Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles CA 90095.,Molecular Biology Institute University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles CA 90095
| | - Michael H Lorenzini
- Dept. of Bioengineering University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles CA 90095
| | - Eugenia Zah
- Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles CA 90095
| | - Yvonne Y Chen
- Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles CA 90095.,Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Center at UCLA Los Angeles CA 90095
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10
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Rewiring T-cell responses to soluble factors with chimeric antigen receptors. Nat Chem Biol 2018; 14:317-324. [PMID: 29377003 PMCID: PMC6035732 DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.2565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 169] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-expressing T cells targeting surface-bound tumor antigens have yielded promising clinical outcomes, with two CD19 CAR-T cell therapies recently receiving FDA approval for the treatment of B-cell malignancies. The adoption of CARs for the recognition of soluble ligands, a distinct class of biomarkers in physiology and disease, could considerably broaden the utility of CARs in disease treatment. In this study, we demonstrate that CAR-T cells can be engineered to respond robustly to diverse soluble ligands, including the CD19 ectodomain, GFP variants, and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β). We additionally show that CAR signaling in response to soluble ligands relies on ligand-mediated CAR dimerization and that CAR responsiveness to soluble ligands can be fine-tuned by adjusting the mechanical coupling between the CAR's ligand-binding and signaling domains. Our results support a role for mechanotransduction in CAR signaling and demonstrate an approach for systematically engineering immune-cell responses to soluble, extracellular ligands.
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11
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L1 Cell Adhesion Molecule-Specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Redirected Human T Cells Exhibit Specific and Efficient Antitumor Activity against Human Ovarian Cancer in Mice. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0146885. [PMID: 26761817 PMCID: PMC4711972 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 12/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
New therapeutic modalities are needed for ovarian cancer, the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. Recent clinical trials have demonstrated the impressive therapeutic potential of adoptive therapy using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-redirected T cells to target hematological cancers, and emerging studies suggest a similar impact may be achieved for solid cancers. We sought determine whether genetically-modified T cells targeting the CE7-epitope of L1-CAM, a cell adhesion molecule aberrantly expressed in several cancers, have promise as an immunotherapy for ovarian cancer, first demonstrating that L1-CAM was highly over-expressed on a panel of ovarian cancer cell lines, primary ovarian tumor tissue specimens, and ascites-derived primary cancer cells. Human central memory derived T cells (TCM) were then genetically modified to express an anti-L1-CAM CAR (CE7R), which directed effector function upon tumor antigen stimulation as assessed by in vitro cytokine secretion and cytotoxicity assays. We also found that CE7R+ T cells were able to target primary ovarian cancer cells. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of CE7R+ TCM induced a significant regression of i.p. established SK-OV-3 xenograft tumors in mice, inhibited ascites formation, and conferred a significant survival advantage compared with control-treated animals. Taken together, these studies indicate that adoptive transfer of L1-CAM-specific CE7R+ T cells may offer a novel and effective immunotherapy strategy for advanced ovarian cancer.
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12
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Frigault MJ, Lee J, Basil MC, Carpenito C, Motohashi S, Scholler J, Kawalekar OU, Guedan S, McGettigan SE, Posey AD, Ang S, Cooper LJN, Platt JM, Johnson FB, Paulos CM, Zhao Y, Kalos M, Milone MC, June CH. Identification of chimeric antigen receptors that mediate constitutive or inducible proliferation of T cells. Cancer Immunol Res 2015; 3:356-67. [PMID: 25600436 PMCID: PMC4390458 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-14-0186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 218] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2014] [Accepted: 12/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This study compared second-generation chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) encoding signaling domains composed of CD28, ICOS, and 4-1BB (TNFRSF9). Here, we report that certain CARs endow T cells with the ability to undergo long-term autonomous proliferation. Transduction of primary human T cells with lentiviral vectors encoding some of the CARs resulted in sustained proliferation for up to 3 months following a single stimulation through the T-cell receptor (TCR). Sustained numeric expansion was independent of cognate antigen and did not require the addition of exogenous cytokines or feeder cells after a single stimulation of the TCR and CD28. Results from gene array and functional assays linked sustained cytokine secretion and expression of T-bet (TBX21), EOMES, and GATA-3 to the effect. Sustained expression of the endogenous IL2 locus has not been reported in primary T cells. Sustained proliferation was dependent on CAR structure and high expression, the latter of which was necessary but not sufficient. The mechanism involves constitutive signaling through NF-κB, AKT, ERK, and NFAT. The propagated CAR T cells retained a diverse TCR repertoire, and cellular transformation was not observed. The CARs with a constitutive growth phenotype displayed inferior antitumor effects and engraftment in vivo. Therefore, the design of CARs that have a nonconstitutive growth phenotype may be a strategy to improve efficacy and engraftment of CAR T cells. The identification of CARs that confer constitutive or nonconstitutive growth patterns may explain observations that CAR T cells have differential survival patterns in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Frigault
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Jihyun Lee
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Maria Ciocca Basil
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Carmine Carpenito
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Shinichiro Motohashi
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - John Scholler
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Omkar U Kawalekar
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Sonia Guedan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Shannon E McGettigan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Avery D Posey
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Sonny Ang
- Division of Pediatrics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | | | - Jesse M Platt
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - F Brad Johnson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Chrystal M Paulos
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina. Department of Surgery, Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Yangbing Zhao
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Michael Kalos
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Michael C Milone
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Carl H June
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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13
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Jonnalagadda M, Mardiros A, Urak R, Wang X, Hoffman LJ, Bernanke A, Chang WC, Bretzlaff W, Starr R, Priceman S, Ostberg JR, Forman SJ, Brown CE. Chimeric antigen receptors with mutated IgG4 Fc spacer avoid fc receptor binding and improve T cell persistence and antitumor efficacy. Mol Ther 2014; 23:757-68. [PMID: 25366031 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2014.208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2013] [Accepted: 10/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The success of adoptive therapy using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-expressing T cells partly depends on optimal CAR design. CARs frequently incorporate a spacer/linker region based on the constant region of either IgG1 or IgG4 to connect extracellular ligand-binding with intracellular signaling domains. Here, we evaluated the potential for the IgG4-Fc linker to result in off-target interactions with Fc gamma receptors (FcγRs). As proof-of-principle, we focused on a CD19-specific scFv-IgG4-CD28-zeta CAR and found that, in contrast to CAR-negative cells, CAR+ T cells bound soluble FcγRs in vitro and did not engraft in NSG mice. We hypothesized that mutations to avoid FcγR binding would improve CAR+ T cell engraftment and antitumor efficacy. Thus, we generated CD19-specific CARs with IgG4-Fc spacers that had either been mutated at two sites (L235E; N297Q) within the CH2 region (CD19R(EQ)) or incorporated a CH2 deletion (CD19Rch2Δ). These mutations reduced binding to soluble FcγRs without altering the ability of the CAR to mediate antigen-specific lysis. Importantly, CD19R(EQ) and CD19Rch2Δ T cells exhibited improved persistence and more potent CD19-specific antilymphoma efficacy in NSG mice. Together, these studies suggest that optimal CAR function may require the elimination of cellular FcγR interactions to improve T cell persistence and antitumor responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahesh Jonnalagadda
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Armen Mardiros
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Ryan Urak
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Xiuli Wang
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Lauren J Hoffman
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Alyssa Bernanke
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Wen-Chung Chang
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - William Bretzlaff
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Renate Starr
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Saul Priceman
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Julie R Ostberg
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Stephen J Forman
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Christine E Brown
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
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14
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Hudecek M, Lupo-Stanghellini MT, Kosasih PL, Sommermeyer D, Jensen MC, Rader C, Riddell SR. Receptor affinity and extracellular domain modifications affect tumor recognition by ROR1-specific chimeric antigen receptor T cells. Clin Cancer Res 2013; 19:3153-64. [PMID: 23620405 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-13-0330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 396] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The adoptive transfer of T cells modified to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) comprised of an extracellular single-chain antibody (scFV) fragment specific for a tumor cell surface molecule, and linked to an intracellular signaling module, has activity in advanced malignancies. The receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1) is a tumor-associated molecule expressed in prevalent B-lymphoid and epithelial cancers and is absent on normal mature B cells and vital tissues, making it a candidate for CAR T-cell therapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We constructed ROR1-CARs from scFVs with different affinities and containing extracellular IgG4-Fc spacer domains of different lengths, and evaluated the ability of T cells expressing each CAR to recognize ROR1(+) hematopoietic and epithelial tumors in vitro, and to eliminate human mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) engrafted into immunodeficient mice. RESULTS ROR1-CARs containing a short "Hinge-only" extracellular spacer conferred superior lysis of ROR1(+) tumor cells and induction of T-cell effector functions compared with CARs with long "Hinge-CH2-CH3" spacers. CARs derived from a higher affinity scFV conferred maximum T-cell effector function against primary CLL and ROR1(+) epithelial cancer lines in vitro without inducing activation-induced T-cell death. T cells modified with an optimal ROR1-CAR were equivalently effective as CD19-CAR-modified T cells in mediating regression of JeKo-1 MCL in immunodeficient mice. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that customizing spacer design and increasing affinity of ROR1-CARs enhances T-cell effector function and recognition of ROR1(+) tumors. T cells modified with an optimized ROR1-CAR have significant antitumor efficacy in a preclinical model in vivo, suggesting they may be useful to treat ROR1(+) tumors in clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Hudecek
- Program in Immunology, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
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15
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Zhang T, Wu MR, Sentman CL. An NKp30-based chimeric antigen receptor promotes T cell effector functions and antitumor efficacy in vivo. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2012; 189:2290-9. [PMID: 22851709 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1103495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
NKp30 is a natural cytotoxicity receptor that is expressed on NK cells and recognizes B7-H6, which is expressed on several types of tumors but few normal cells. To target effector T cells against B7-H6+ tumors, we developed several chimeric AgRs (CARs) based on NKp30, which contain the CD28- and/or CD3ζ-signaling domains with the transmembrane domains from CD3ζ, CD28, or CD8α. The data show that chimeric NKp30-expressing T cells responded to B7-H6+ tumor cells. The NKp30 CAR-expressing T cells produced IFN-γ and killed B7-H6 ligand-expressing tumor cells; this response was dependent upon ligand expression on target cells but not on MHC expression. PBMC-derived dendritic cells also express NKp30 ligands, including immature dendritic cells, and they can stimulate NKp30 CAR-bearing T cells to produce IFN-γ, but to a lesser extent. The addition of a CD28-signaling domain significantly enhanced the activity of the NKp30 CAR in a PI3K-dependent manner. Adoptive transfer of T cells expressing a chimeric NKp30 receptor containing a CD28-signaling domain inhibited the growth of a B7-H6-expressing murine lymphoma (RMA/B7-H6) in vivo. Moreover, mice that remained tumor-free were resistant to a subsequent challenge with the wild-type RMA tumor cells, suggesting the generation of immunity against other tumor Ags. Overall, this study demonstrates the specificity and therapeutic potential of adoptive immunotherapy with NKp30 CAR-expressing T cells against B7-H6+ tumor cells in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
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16
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CD20-specific adoptive immunotherapy for lymphoma using a chimeric antigen receptor with both CD28 and 4-1BB domains: pilot clinical trial results. Blood 2012; 119:3940-50. [PMID: 22308288 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2011-10-387969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 391] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellular immune responses have the potential to elicit dramatic and sustained clinical remissions in lymphoma patients. Recent clinical trial data demonstrate that modification of T cells with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) is a promising strategy. T cells containing CARs with costimulatory domains exhibit improved activity against tumors. We conducted a pilot clinical trial testing a "third-generation" CD20-specific CAR with CD28 and 4-1BB costimulatory domains in patients with relapsed indolent B-cell and mantle cell lymphomas. Four patients were enrolled, and 3 received T-cell infusions after cyclophosphamide lymphodepletion. Treatment was well tolerated, although one patient developed transient infusional symptoms. Two patients without evaluable disease remained progression-free for 12 and 24 months. The third patient had an objective partial remission and relapsed at 12 months after infusions. Modified T cells were detected by quantitative PCR at tumor sites and up to 1 year in peripheral blood, albeit at low levels. No evidence of host immune responses against infused cells was detected. In conclusion, adoptive immunotherapy with CD20-specific T cells was well tolerated and was associated with antitumor activity. We will pursue alternative gene transfer technologies and culture conditions in future studies to improve CAR expression and cell production efficiency.
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17
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Kochenderfer JN, Yu Z, Frasheri D, Restifo NP, Rosenberg SA. Adoptive transfer of syngeneic T cells transduced with a chimeric antigen receptor that recognizes murine CD19 can eradicate lymphoma and normal B cells. Blood 2010; 116:3875-86. [PMID: 20631379 PMCID: PMC2981541 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2010-01-265041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 256] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2010] [Accepted: 06/29/2010] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Adoptive T-cell therapy with anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-expressing T cells is a new approach for treating advanced B-cell malignancies. To evaluate anti-CD19-CAR-transduced T cells in a murine model of adoptive T-cell therapy, we developed a CAR that specifically recognized murine CD19. We used T cells that were retrovirally transduced with this CAR to treat mice bearing a syngeneic lymphoma that naturally expressed the self-antigen murine CD19. One infusion of anti-CD19-CAR-transduced T cells completely eliminated normal B cells from mice for at least 143 days. Anti-CD19-CAR-transduced T cells eradicated intraperitoneally injected lymphoma cells and large subcutaneous lymphoma masses. The antilymphoma efficacy of anti-CD19-CAR-transduced T cells was critically dependent on irradiation of mice before anti-CD19-CAR-transduced T-cell infusion. Anti-CD19-CAR-transduced T cells had superior antilymphoma efficacy compared with the anti-CD19 monoclonal antibody from which the anti-CD19 CAR was derived. Our results demonstrated impressive antilymphoma activity and profound destruction of normal B cells caused by anti-CD19-CAR-transduced T cells in a clinically relevant murine model.
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Affiliation(s)
- James N Kochenderfer
- Surgery Branch of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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18
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Tammana S, Huang X, Wong M, Milone MC, Ma L, Levine BL, June CH, Wagner JE, Blazar BR, Zhou X. 4-1BB and CD28 signaling plays a synergistic role in redirecting umbilical cord blood T cells against B-cell malignancies. Hum Gene Ther 2010; 21:75-86. [PMID: 19719389 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2009.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Umbilical cord blood (UCB) T cells can be redirected to kill leukemia and lymphoma cells by engineering with a single-chain chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and thus may have general applications in adoptive cell therapy. However, the role of costimulatory molecules in UCB T-cell activation and effector functions in context with CAR remains elusive. To investigate the effect of costimulatory molecules (4-1BB and CD28) on UCB T cells, we transduced UCB T cells with lentiviral vectors expressing Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) and CAR for CD19 containing an intracellular domain of the CD3zeta chain and either a 4-1BB (UCB-19BBzeta) or a CD28 intracellular domain (UCB-1928zeta), both (UCB-1928BBzeta), or neither (UCB-19zeta). We found that UCB-19BBzeta and UCB-28BBzeta T cells exhibited more cytotoxicity to CD19(+) leukemia and lymphoma cell lines than UCB-19zeta and UCB-1928zeta, although differences in secretion of interleukin-2 and interferon-gamma by these T cells were not evident. In vivo adoptive transfer of these T cells into intraperitoneal tumor-bearing mice demonstrated that UCB-19BBzeta and UCB-1928BBzeta T cells mounted the most potent antitumor response. The mice adoptively transferred with UCB-1928BBzeta cells survived longer than the mice with UCB-19BBzeta. Moreover, UCB-1928BBzeta T cells mounted a more robust antitumor response than UCB-19BBzeta in a systemic tumor model. Our data suggest a synergistic role of 4-1BB and CD28 costimulation in engineering antileukemia UCB effector cells and implicate a design for redirected UCB T-cell therapy for refractory leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syam Tammana
- Graduate Program in Microbial Engineering, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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19
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Abstract
Cell-based therapies with various lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells are promising approaches for cancer immunotherapy. The transfusion of T lymphocytes, also called adoptive cell therapy (ACT), is an effective treatment for viral infections, has induced regression of cancer in early stage clinical trials, and may be a particularly important and efficacious modality in the period following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Immune reconstitution post-SCT is often slow and incomplete, which in turn leads to an increased risk of infection and may impact relapse risk in patients with malignant disease. Immunization post-HSCT is frequently unsuccessful, due to the prolonged lymphopenia, especially of CD4 T cells, seen following transplant. ACT has the potential to enhance antitumor and overall immunity, and augment vaccine efficacy in the post-transplant setting. The ability to genetically engineer lymphocyte subsets has the further potential to improve the natural immune response, correct impaired immunity, and redirect T cells to an antitumor effector response. This chapter focuses on various applications of ACT for cancer immunotherapy, and we discuss some of the latest progress and hurdles in translating these technologies to the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan A Grupp
- Division of Oncology and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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20
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Wang J, Jensen M, Lin Y, Sui X, Chen E, Lindgren CG, Till B, Raubitschek A, Forman SJ, Qian X, James S, Greenberg P, Riddell S, Press OW. Optimizing adoptive polyclonal T cell immunotherapy of lymphomas, using a chimeric T cell receptor possessing CD28 and CD137 costimulatory domains. Hum Gene Ther 2007; 18:712-25. [PMID: 17685852 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2007.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 167] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously demonstrated the feasibility of generating therapeutic numbers of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) clones expressing a CD20-specific scFvFc:CD3zeta chimeric T cell receptor (cTCR), making them specifically cytotoxic for CD20+ B lymphoma cells. However, the process of generating and expanding he CTL clones was laborious, the CTL clones expressed the cTCR at low surface density, and they exhibited suboptimal proliferation and cytotoxicity. To improve the performance of the CTLs in vitro and in vivo, we engineered "second-generation'' plasmid constructs containing a translational enhancer (SP163) and CD28 and CD137 costimulatory domains in cis with the CD3zeta intracellular signaling domain of the cTCR gene. Furthermore, we verified the superiority of generating genetically modified polyclonal T cells expressing the second-generation cTCR rather than T cell clones. Our results demonstrate that SP163 enhances the surface expression of the cTCR; that the second-generation cTCR improves CTL activation, proliferation, and cytotoxicity; and that polyclonal T cells proliferate rapidly in vitro and mediate potent CD20-specific cytotoxicity. This study provides the preclinical basis for a clinical trial of adoptive T cell immunotherapy for patients with relapsed CD20+ mantle cell lymphoma and indolent lymphomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinjuan Wang
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
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21
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Nguyen P, Duthoit CT, Geiger TL. Induction of tolerance and immunity by redirected B cell-specific cytolytic T lymphocytes. Gene Ther 2007; 14:1739-49. [PMID: 17928872 DOI: 10.1038/sj.gt.3303045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Chimeric receptors bearing ligand recognition domains linked to signaling regions from the T-cell receptor can redirect T lymphocytes against non-MHC-restricted targets. Cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL) expressing these chimeric receptors are being tested in preclinical and clinical trials for activity in cancer, infectious diseases and autoimmunity. The chimeric receptors may incorporate antigenic epitopes previously unrecognized by the immune system. Whether a receptor-specific antibody response develops to these neoantigens and whether such a response inhibits therapeutic cell activity is unknown. We hypothesized that upon engagement of a chimeric receptor-specific B cell, receptor-modified CTL will be activated, lysing the B cell and inducing tolerance to the chimeric receptor rather than immunity. We demonstrate that receptor-modified CTL are indeed stimulated by cognate receptor-specific B cells, proliferate and produce cytokines in response and kill the B cells in vitro and in vivo. However, this is insufficient to induce full B-cell tolerance. Modified CTL induce a chimeric receptor-specific antibody response independent of any other source of antigen. Nevertheless, the CTL retain substantial activity even in the presence of saturating doses of receptor-specific antibody. Thus antichimeric receptor antibody responses need to be considered in the clinical use of chimeric receptor-modified T cells. However, the inhibitory activity of these antibodies may in cases be limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Nguyen
- Department of Pathology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
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22
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Kowolik CM, Topp MS, Gonzalez S, Pfeiffer T, Olivares S, Gonzalez N, Smith DD, Forman SJ, Jensen MC, Cooper LJN. CD28 costimulation provided through a CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptor enhances in vivo persistence and antitumor efficacy of adoptively transferred T cells. Cancer Res 2006; 66:10995-1004. [PMID: 17108138 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-06-0160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 375] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) combine an antigen-binding domain with a CD3-zeta signaling motif to redirect T-cell specificity to clinically important targets. First-generation CAR, such as the CD19-specific CAR (designated CD19R), may fail to fully engage genetically modified T cells because activation is initiated by antigen-dependent signaling through chimeric CD3-zeta, independent of costimulation through accessory molecules. We show that enforced expression of the full-length costimulatory molecule CD28 in CD8(+)CD19R(+)CD28(-) T cells can restore fully competent antigen-dependent T-cell activation upon binding CD19(+) targets expressing CD80/CD86. Thus, to provide costimulation to T cells through a CD19-specific CAR, independent of binding to CD80/CD86, we developed a second-generation CAR (designated CD19RCD28), which includes a modified chimeric CD28 signaling domain fused to chimeric CD3-zeta. CD19R(+) and CD19RCD28(+) CD8(+) T cells specifically lyse CD19(+) tumor cells. However, the CD19RCD28(+) CD8(+) T cells proliferate in absence of exogenous recombinant human interleukin-2, produce interleukin-2, propagate, and up-regulate antiapoptotic Bcl-X(L) after stimulation by CD19(+) tumor cells. For the first time, we show in vivo that adoptively transferred CD19RCD28(+) T cells show an improved persistence and antitumor effect compared with CD19R(+) T cells. These data imply that modifications to the CAR can result in improved therapeutic potential of CD19-specific T cells expressing this second-generation CAR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia M Kowolik
- Divisions of Molecular Medicine, Beckman Research Institute and City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
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23
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Rossig C, Brenner MK. Genetic modification of T lymphocytes for adoptive immunotherapy. Mol Ther 2005; 10:5-18. [PMID: 15233937 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2004.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2004] [Accepted: 04/26/2004] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Adoptive transfer of T lymphocytes is a promising therapy for malignancies-particularly of the hemopoietic system-and for otherwise intractable viral diseases. Efforts to broaden the approach have been limited by the physiology of the T cells themselves and by a range of immune evasion mechanisms developed by tumor cells. In this review we show how genetic modification of T cells is being used preclinically and in patients to overcome these limitations, by incorporation of novel receptors, resistance mechanisms, and control genes. We also discuss how the increasing safety and effectiveness of gene transfer technologies will lead to an increase in the use of gene-modified T cells for the treatment of a wider range of disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Rossig
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Children's Hospital Muenster, 48129 Muenster, Germany.
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